1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cable Strippers and more particularly is directed toward an improved cable stripper especially designed for but not limited to removing cable sheathing of poly and/or metallic composition.
2. Description of Related Art
Effective removal of cable sheathing has posed a problem for a long time. The primary difficulty associated with removing the sheathing of poly-sheathed cables lies in removal of the sheathing without causing damage to the conductors contained inside. Conventional methods of poly-sheathing removal generally involved free-hand cutting of the sheathing with a knife or blade, followed by manual peeling of the sheathing away from the cable and then cutting off the loosened sheathing. During this process, however, damage to the conductors underneath the sheathing was a likely, although undesired, side-effect.
The development of cables with metallic sheathing has further complicated the sheathing removal problem. With metallic sheathing, conventional sheathing removal methods have proved inadequate. Technicians have been forced to resort to brute force (e.g., chisel and hammer) methods of sheathing removal. In some instances, technicians have attempted to utilize conventional pipe-cutters to make an initial circular cut in the sheathing and then resorted again to brute-force peeling methods to remove the sheathing. Frequently these methods also resulted in damage to the cable conductors. In addition, where pipe-cutters have been employed, the limited adjustability of such cutters has necessitated the purchase of a large number of cutters to accommodate the wide range of cable diameters currently in use.
Some tools have been developed which can be used to make a cut parallel to the longitudinal axis of the table, but even these tools do not overcome the aforementioned difficulties. First, the parallel cutting tools do not permit the making of a circular cut, hence at the very least two cutting tools (e.g., both a circular cutter and a parallel cutter) are required. Second, these parallel cutting tools are not adjustable over a wide range of diameters. Therefore, to effectively accommodate the wide range of cable diameters in use, a number of these tools would be required.
Another difficulty associated with conventional tools is that they can only be installed onto the end of a cable. This limitation prevents the removal of cable sheathing "mid-span" which is often required in certain applications.
The difficulty of sheathing removal, the possibility of conductor damage and the inability to remove sheathing mid-span are real problems which have not been overcome by the prior art. Therefore, there exists a need for a cable stripper which would permit removal of cable sheathing of any composition, especially commonly used poly or metallic sheathing, protect against undesired damage to the cable conductors during sheathing removal and at the same time be installable at any location along a cable (e.g., midspan or near an end). Similarly, the need for a cable stripper capable of being adjusted to accommodate cables of a wide range of diameters has not been met by the prior art.
In addition to the difficulties associated with striping cables with poly or metallic sheathing, an additional problem exists when shielded cable must be stripped. Shielded cable may typically be formed of layers of conductive (e.g., metallic) material sandwiched between layers of non-conductive (e.g., poly) sheathing.
It is sometimes desirable to remove only a single layer of poly sheathing (e.g., to gain access to the outermost shield layer) without cutting into lower shield layers. Conventional cable strippers have not addressed this need, and technicians have resorted to trial and error attempts to remove single shield layers. Therefore, there exists a need for a cable stripper which would permit controlled removal of a single shield layer without damaging lower shield layers.